Test taker performance 2017

Band score information

IELTS is assessed on a 9-band scale and reports scores both overall and by individual skill. Overall band scores for Academic and General Training test takers in 2017 are shown here, together with scores for individual skills according to a variety of classifications. These figures are broadly in line with statistics for previous years.

Note: For place of origin and first language, the tables show the top 40 places and languages, listed alphabetically, not in order of the size of the candidature.

Academic and General Training test takers

Split between Academic and General Training candidature in 2017

2017

Academic

78.10%

General Training

21.9%

Gender

These figures show the mean overall and individual band scores achieved by 2017 Academic and General Training test takers according to their gender.

Academic test takers: Mean performance by gender

Gender

Listening

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Overall

Female

6.26

6.18

5.66

5.97

6.08

Male

6.17

6.02

5.55

5.88

5.97

General Training test takers: Mean performance by gender

Gender

Listening

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Overall

Female

6.66

6.27

6.15

6.62

6.49

Male

6.62

6.25

6.05

6.57

6.44

Place of origin

These figures show the mean overall and individual band scores achieved by 2017 Academic and General Training test takers from the top 40 places of origin.

Mean band score for the most frequent countries or regions of origin (Academic)

Listening

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Overall

Bangladesh

6.37

6.02

5.83

6.25

6.18

Brazil

6.74

6.91

5.98

6.72

6.65

Canada

7.09

6.78

6.16

7.15

6.86

China (People's Republic of)

5.90

6.11

5.37

5.39

5.76

Colombia

6.35

6.72

5.78

6.49

6.40

Egypt

6.74

6.43

5.87

6.46

6.44

France

6.95

7.04

6.02

6.56

6.71

Germany

7.76

7.52

6.60

7.36

7.37

Greece

7.43

7.16

6.27

6.76

6.97

Hong Kong

6.90

6.76

5.97

6.25

6.53

India

6.30

5.82

5.77

6.01

6.04

Indonesia

6.55

6.67

5.78

6.27

6.38

Iran, Islamic Republic of

6.24

5.98

5.58

6.43

6.12

Iraq

5.54

5.44

5.13

5.86

5.56

Italy

6.83

7.20

5.99

6.54

6.70

Japan

5.91

6.09

5.41

5.59

5.81

Jordan

6.27

5.89

5.47

6.35

6.06

Kazakhstan

6.17

6.16

5.57

5.91

6.01

Korea, Republic of

6.20

6.20

5.46

5.79

5.97

Kuwait

5.47

5.08

4.84

5.79

5.36

Malaysia

7.27

7.07

6.25

6.71

6.89

Mexico

6.54

6.78

5.81

6.54

6.48

Nepal

6.27

5.75

5.56

5.81

5.91

Nigeria

6.82

6.46

6.51

7.11

6.79

Oman

5.11

4.98

4.90

5.62

5.22

Pakistan

6.57

6.20

5.95

6.43

6.35

Philippines

7.27

6.80

6.20

6.85

6.84

Romania

7.03

6.89

6.12

6.78

6.77

Russian Federation

6.93

6.91

5.99

6.67

6.69

Saudi Arabia

5.26

5.05

4.78

5.69

5.26

Spain

7.02

7.16

6.11

6.71

6.81

Sri Lanka

6.60

6.15

5.90

6.49

6.35

Sudan

6.43

6.10

5.68

6.41

6.22

Taiwan, China

6.16

6.21

5.60

6.08

6.08

Thailand

6.25

6.03

5.46

5.91

5.98

Turkey

6.40

6.42

5.69

6.21

6.24

Ukraine

6.65

6.58

5.94

6.49

6.48

United Arab Emirates

4.88

4.70

4.48

5.27

4.90

Uzbekistan

5.63

5.63

5.27

5.61

5.60

Vietnam

5.97

6.17

5.59

5.71

5.92

Mean band score for the most frequent countries or regions of origin (General Training)

Listening

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Overall

Australia

7.32

6.92

6.44

7.55

7.12

Bangladesh

6.47

6.01

6.05

6.48

6.32

Brazil

6.68

6.76

6.11

6.72

6.63

Canada

7.10

6.79

6.28

7.15

6.89

China (People's Republic of)

6.06

6.03

5.61

5.74

5.93

Colombia

6.09

6.17

5.79

6.33

6.16

Egypt

6.67

6.35

5.96

6.52

6.44

France

6.91

6.83

6.15

6.83

6.74

Germany

7.22

6.91

6.40

7.38

7.04

Hong Kong

6.65

6.59

5.93

6.28

6.42

India

6.86

6.34

6.22

6.68

6.59

Indonesia

6.08

5.84

5.59

6.02

5.95

Iran, Islamic Republic of

6.38

6.06

5.81

6.53

6.26

Italy

6.28

6.09

5.68

6.40

6.17

Japan

5.86

5.53

5.39

5.71

5.68

Jordan

6.42

6.03

5.75

6.60

6.26

Korea, Republic of

5.89

5.53

5.39

5.63

5.67

Lebanon

6.80

6.41

6.05

6.73

6.56

Malaysia

7.11

6.89

6.31

6.87

6.86

Mexico

6.36

6.38

5.91

6.63

6.38

Nepal

6.32

5.67

5.79

6.23

6.07

Nigeria

6.77

6.38

6.80

7.22

6.85

Pakistan

6.75

6.28

6.21

6.75

6.56

Philippines

6.46

5.99

5.98

6.46

6.29

Poland

6.83

6.64

6.13

6.82

6.67

Russian Federation

6.90

6.88

6.13

6.68

6.71

Saudi Arabia

4.78

3.90

4.39

5.17

4.63

Singapore

7.71

7.49

6.78

7.48

7.43

South Africa

7.66

7.27

7.00

8.26

7.61

Spain

6.61

6.80

6.05

6.56

6.56

Sri Lanka

6.69

6.20

6.06

6.65

6.46

Sudan

6.31

5.84

5.80

6.55

6.19

Syrian Arab Republic

6.36

6.02

5.73

6.60

6.25

Taiwan, China

5.98

5.61

5.55

6.05

5.86

Thailand

5.37

4.83

5.06

5.45

5.24

Turkey

6.50

6.42

5.98

6.46

6.40

Ukraine

6.25

6.10

5.83

6.29

6.18

United States of America

7.92

7.67

7.48

8.44

7.95

Vietnam

6.16

6.12

5.83

6.00

6.09

Zimbabwe

7.15

6.78

6.84

7.55

7.14

First Language

These figures show the mean overall and individual band scores achieved by 2017 Academic and General Training test takers from the top 40 first language backgrounds.